Joe Bland got me thinking…

Good Morning good people!

(The following was typed last night, but only uploaded this morning.)

Throughout my experiences so far at cam, Christ has continued to reveal himself to me in ways that are little and subtle, but also in ways that are exuberant. One such way is from the talk that Joe Bland gave us last night on the Liturgy and the Eucharist. Joe is a fantastic man who really lives and shares his Catholic faith. Until this summer he has taught and been the chair of the religion department at Trinity High School in Whitesville, now he is moving across the parking lot to become the Director of Faith Formation for St. Mary of the Woods Parish where my former pastor Fr. Gerald Baker is now pastor. Joe has worked with youth for eleven years and is an amazing presenter/speaker. It was amazing to listen to him.

Joe began his talk by covering the different covenants that God has made with his people, the symbols of them and what they were for. This stood out to me, because it is exactly what I am covering in our Faith Exercise each week at camp on Tuesdays. One of my great loves in Dr. Kevin Schemenauer’s Class this past year at Bishop Bruté is when we discussed Covenants, thus this year at camp I jumped at the opportunity to teach the kids about the covenants. It is amazing how the Holy Spirit continues to work in all of our lives and how each thing seems to link together. (More on that in another post!) Throughout Joe’s talk I kept having thoughts pop into my head that I wanted to expand upon and explore. Thus Joe Bland got me thinking.

What I wanted to share may be perceived by some as curious, or interesting, or slightly irregular, but so is our faith! Christ came to set the world on fire, he even says how he wishes we were not lukewarm, but rather cold or hot! Pope Francis in his homily a little while ago said that we need to be “Annoying Catholics” We cannot just take our faith and leave it at the doors of the church after Mass. Rather we have to take it out to become the Eucharist that we have just received and break and share ourselves and Christ’s message with others! And we need to do so insistently, firmly, and directly! (Part of another aspect of Eucharistic Life Camp that is emphasized.)

Now I have gone on long enough in this post, so the rest will wait until I have more time and can fully place my thoughts together. (It is 11 pm and I am beat!) Hopefully in my next blog post I will be talking about the ways in which our human sexuality is portrayed, lived, and exemplified in marriage, Christ, and in Holy Mother Church herself. It all goes back to the way that our world is connected and how our human relationships and marriages are the examples of that eternal wedding feast with Christ, our Bridegroom. So check back when I discuss “The Eternal Banquet; full union with Christ.” It has been something on my heart as of late and when I heard more about it last night, Joe Bland got me thinking…

As always, please pray for me! I am praying for all of you!

+In His Mercy,

Corey